IN OUR OPINION

Enough is enough

Published: Sunday, March 2, 2014 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 28, 2014 at 7:08 p.m.

A routine 2:30 a.m. traffic stop for speeding should not require Sheriff Chris Blair's involvement. A traffic stop that involves exceeding the speed limit by a reported 17 mph, suspected DUI and an expired driver's license should not end with a simple warning for speeding.

But those things are exactly what happened in the wee hours of Jan. 18 after Matthew Tillander was pulled over by Deputy Calvin Betts on County Road 326 after being clocked going 72 mph in a 55-mph zone.

An ensuing internal affairs investigation into the handling of the case resulted in Maj. Tommy Bibb being cited for violating the Sheriff's Office code of conduct, but the punishment — two days suspension without pay — is farcical, given the taint the episode puts on Marion County's top law enforcement agency.

In a nutshell, Tillander, son of Ocala bar owner and businessman Bobby Tillander, called his father after the stop. The elder Tillander proceeded to call Bibb, one of Blair's four-man command staff, who deemed the situation important enough to awaken the sheriff.

Blair told his own internal affairs investigator, Leo Smith, that he ordered Bibb to tell Betts “to do what he needs to do,” which Bibb said he did.

But by that time, Betts had been called by Bobby Tillander and Bibb, who initially told the deputy to not act until he called Blair. As Betts told Bibb, “If he's got the ability to get you woke up and out of bed at 3 in the morning, and for you to telephone the sheriff and get him out of bed at 3 in the morning, maybe he [Tillander] just needs to get a ride home.”

And that's what Tillander got.

As Chief Deputy Freed LaTorre rightly noted in his disciplinary memo to Bibb, “your involvement in this matter has left both staff and members of the community questioning your intentions.”

Precisely.

The leniency with which Bibb was treated, Blair told us, was because of his 30-plus years of service to the community.

“He made a mistake,” the sheriff said.

He did more than that. He sent a message that who you are matters more than what you have done; that friends of the sheriff get special treatment. Deputy Betts certainly got the message, and it is both disturbing and shameful.

Blair needs to better understand his job and his agency. In his first year in office, he has waged a nasty and unnecessary political war with the County Commission over his budget, asked for $17 million in new spending after campaigning on a promise not to raise taxes, and earned a scolding from the Florida Commission on Ethics for campaign financing irregularities.

Now comes the Tillander traffic-stop embarrassment.

Blair, Bibb and the entire Sheriff's Office need to remember the people of Marion County hold them to a higher standard, with good reason. We have seen too many instances in the first year of this administration, however, where the standard has been anything but high, and the Tillander incident is just the latest example.

<p>A routine 2:30 a.m. traffic stop for speeding should not require Sheriff Chris Blair's involvement. A traffic stop that involves exceeding the speed limit by a reported 17 mph, suspected DUI and an expired driver's license should not end with a simple warning for speeding.</p><p>But those things are exactly what happened in the wee hours of Jan. 18 after Matthew Tillander was pulled over by Deputy Calvin Betts on County Road 326 after being clocked going 72 mph in a 55-mph zone.</p><p>An ensuing internal affairs investigation into the handling of the case resulted in Maj. Tommy Bibb being cited for violating the Sheriff's Office code of conduct, but the punishment — two days suspension without pay — is farcical, given the taint the episode puts on Marion County's top law enforcement agency.</p><p>In a nutshell, Tillander, son of Ocala bar owner and businessman Bobby Tillander, called his father after the stop. The elder Tillander proceeded to call Bibb, one of Blair's four-man command staff, who deemed the situation important enough to awaken the sheriff.</p><p>Blair told his own internal affairs investigator, Leo Smith, that he ordered Bibb to tell Betts “to do what he needs to do,” which Bibb said he did.</p><p>But by that time, Betts had been called by Bobby Tillander and Bibb, who initially told the deputy to not act until he called Blair. As Betts told Bibb, “If he's got the ability to get you woke up and out of bed at 3 in the morning, and for you to telephone the sheriff and get him out of bed at 3 in the morning, maybe he [Tillander] just needs to get a ride home.”</p><p>And that's what Tillander got.</p><p>As Chief Deputy Freed LaTorre rightly noted in his disciplinary memo to Bibb, “your involvement in this matter has left both staff and members of the community questioning your intentions.”</p><p>Precisely.</p><p>The leniency with which Bibb was treated, Blair told us, was because of his 30-plus years of service to the community.</p><p>“He made a mistake,” the sheriff said.</p><p>He did more than that. He sent a message that who you are matters more than what you have done; that friends of the sheriff get special treatment. Deputy Betts certainly got the message, and it is both disturbing and shameful.</p><p>Blair needs to better understand his job and his agency. In his first year in office, he has waged a nasty and unnecessary political war with the County Commission over his budget, asked for $17 million in new spending after campaigning on a promise not to raise taxes, and earned a scolding from the Florida Commission on Ethics for campaign financing irregularities.</p><p>Now comes the Tillander traffic-stop embarrassment.</p><p>Blair, Bibb and the entire Sheriff's Office need to remember the people of Marion County hold them to a higher standard, with good reason. We have seen too many instances in the first year of this administration, however, where the standard has been anything but high, and the Tillander incident is just the latest example.</p>